What Mistakes do you Make most in your Photography?
Over at the dPS Facebook page (please do connect with us there) earlier today I asked the following question:
What mistake do you most commonly make or what problem do you most commonly come up against in your photography?
The responses have been great so I thought I’d open it up for discussion here on the blog. Feel free to share your response here in comments below or over on Facebook.
PS: I’m glad I’m not the only one with the problem of forgetting to switch a high ISO off when I’m taking a shot in low light.
173 Responses to “What Mistakes do you Make most in your Photography?” - Add Yours
August 24th, 2010 at 5:42 am
I can never get enough dynamic range in my photos. Especially sunsets which always end up with 2 pictures – one with good highlights and one with good darks. How can I take a dynamic non-HDR image?
August 24th, 2010 at 5:46 am
I find it difficult to get the white balance right. I know it can be fixed at post processing when shooting in RAW, but I don’t want to post process, and I like to handle smaller files.
August 24th, 2010 at 5:47 am
There are a lot of times that I accidentally press down my shot too much that it takes 2-3 shots, which I don’t really need.
Also, I also suffer sometimes with wrong focus.
I sometimes forget backlight too.
August 24th, 2010 at 5:48 am
when i’m shooting, forgetting a high ISO and a 2-sec timer on are the most common.
August 24th, 2010 at 5:51 am
I’ve made a LOT of mistakes over a lot of years… The problem isn’t making mistakes; It’s making the same mistake twice!
August 24th, 2010 at 5:51 am
Not looking around my subject for distracting backgrounds. Sometimes a step to the left or right can save 30 minutes in post processing!
August 24th, 2010 at 5:53 am
White balance inside. Forget to use gels to correct daylight flash vs tungsten indoor light.
August 24th, 2010 at 5:56 am
I’m a total beginner amatuer who tries to shoot in manual mode, a lot. I constantly am forgetting to change my ISO. I’ve forgotten to change white balance between shoots and not pay attention until too late and I’ve been guilty of taking shots at only one angle only to realize in post-processing that another angle would have been way better!
August 24th, 2010 at 6:04 am
I always forget to turn the other lights on/off while measuring them in the studio.
August 24th, 2010 at 6:10 am
I do the ISO thing – *all the time*, but way less than in the past. I know to check it now when shooting important things but still forget sometimes when randomly shooting around town.
My biggest problem is feeling like I’m inconveniencing people with photography. It’s a self-confidence issue. So I get flustered and try to rush through portrait sessions, etc. (I’ve only been paid for one assignment, so all these people know I’m still learning). I forget to switch lenses and try new things. Later I think of all the things I could have done differently and it *kills me*!
August 24th, 2010 at 6:24 am
I think my most common mistake is ‘Lack of DOF’. I will take a shot that looks good on screen, then find out at home that not enough of the shot is in focus, and I should have stopped down more.
I do it sometimes with people (where the one kid that I focused on is sharp, but the one behind is OOF), but more often with landscapes (where I nail the foreground, but the background object just isn’t sharp enough).
I recognize the problem, and I do try to stop down… but I make the mistake more often than I should for sure!
August 24th, 2010 at 6:27 am
Ditto on the ISO thingy. In general, just forgetting to check the settings on the camera before shooting, and assuming they are still set the same way as the last few shots.
Went skiing with a bunch of friends a few years ago and had a good pocket sized camera with me. At the top of a long wide run, I told them I’d ski halfway down, then stop to take their pictures as each one skied past me. I’d just taken pictures of the gang at the top of the hll, so I didn’t check my settings. Of course, they’d gotten bumped when I put the camera in my pocket, so none of the shots were any good.
Same thing with flash settings. I’ve accidentally turned E-TTL off a couple times.
August 24th, 2010 at 6:43 am
I often move to a new lighting situation during a shoot and forget to change my settings, thus, I lose the first 5-10 shots in the lighting situation.
August 24th, 2010 at 6:43 am
iso is definitely a problem of mine. when i get a nicely composed picture, the ISO is so high i see noise and can’t seem to get the same picture twice. it’s really disappointing.
also.. when i try to use manual focus.. i can not really seem to focus it correctly. it looks beautiful on my little screen, but when i blow it up everythings out of focus. it makes me so mad/sad.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:04 am
Wow! I don’t feel alone any more because of the mistake about checking the cam configuration before shooting. I have a lot of ‘would be great’ pictures that actually suck because I didn’t check the ISO configuration before.
Another mistake I usually do is not to trust more in the benefits of technology. That’s how I choose the manual focus and/or manual exposure on important shots, taking me away from concentrating in more important matters as, for example, the composition and timing. Then, when I see the result, I realize the the technology does a better job than me.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:10 am
Lack of DOF
I just can’t get it right!
August 24th, 2010 at 7:10 am
I tend to shoot in Aperture mode, and don’t pay enough attention — I’m a repeat offender, darnit — to the aperture that is most appropriate for the shot. I missed some great unexpected shots recently because my aperture was wrong. Should have switched to Program mode when I saw those RCMP on horseback riding down Banff Avenue. Darn.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:12 am
I’ve got the technical stuff down pat. But, I forget to take a breath and try something creative. I take a lot of “safe” shots and nail them, but I often feel that my portrait photography lacks oomph.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:33 am
The ISO thing is a big one for me.However, partly because of that mistake, I’ve realized that sometimes a higher ISO than necessary adds a nice muted feel, and I’ve learned to use that to my advantage at times.
I shoot a lot of narrow depth-of-field photos. I often come home and figure out that my focus was on the wrong spot. I.e. it’s obvious to me when I see the photo that it would have been a keeper if I’d just focused on the coffee cup rather than the coffee or vice versa. Ideally I take several photos of the same thing and try out focus locations.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:34 am
If I use the self time or mirror lockup sometimes I forget to reset the dial on my D300 back to single or continuous shooting. Then I go to take an action shot and I cannot figure out at first why the shutter wont release or the viewfinder stays dark too long. I normally figure it out right away, but I have missed a few shots as a result.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:43 am
I think I tend to do the following too often:
1. spend to much time fighting to get good exposure when moving the subject to a spot with prettier light would work better
2. forget to change my aperture when I’m shooting more than one person and/or need to include more of the background
3. don’t try different angles enough.
August 24th, 2010 at 8:05 am
1. Lack of DOF
2. Forget to turn the 3-sec timer off
3. Forget to switch back to AF
August 24th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I read to much about photography when I should be taking pictures, oh and reply to posts on photography forums when I should be taking pictures.
August 24th, 2010 at 8:18 am
I’m a beginner as trying not to shoot in auto….my most common mistakes — that I can recognize anyway — not taking enough photos, forgetting to change ISO and not checking for distractions in the background. Oh and focus….like having the focas point a little above or below where it should be.
August 24th, 2010 at 8:53 am
I forget to check ISO and white balance.
August 24th, 2010 at 9:57 am
White balance and ISO. or basically everything technical other than the shutter speed and aperture.
August 24th, 2010 at 10:18 am
High ISO, white balance and forgetting to change aperture (f-stop number).
August 24th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Forgetting to reset after using exposure bracketing.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:09 am
So many. But mainly not getting close enough to your subjects, relying too much on your camera instead of on your curiosity, failing to change angles and perspectives, little exploring. Most of all are about composition.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:16 am
1. White Balance
– Forget to reset the white balance, unfortunately I can’t always pass the funky blue shades off as ‘artistic’
2. Bracketing
– Forget that I have bracketing turned on, so any one-off shots may be over or under-exposed.
I’m thinking I need a quick checklist to run through each time I pick the camera up.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:50 am
Wrong focusing.
Using high ISO in sunny conditions after shots in low light places.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
My common problems are :
- getting the color of the sky all white while shooting against the sun! I really can get it right!
- taking to many pictures of the same subject on different angles, settings and after all I can’t choose the best one and erase the others so my computer ends up full of the same thing!
August 24th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
my problem is seeing, i don’t know what to expose for.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Removing exposure corrections when switching to a new scene, subject or different day.
August 24th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
My biggest mistake is accidentally bumping the mode dial so I end up in Tv or M instead of Av. Sometimes this results in some truly interesting pictures, but most of the time I wish I could get a “do over” on the missed shot.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Amber:
Go out and ask 50 people in the street that you don’t know if you can take their picture. Get in close for a head shot. That should get you over your shyness. I think you’ll find that most people are happy to oblige. While you’re at it, try and pick interesting people. You might get some good shots.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Not being aware of distracting backgrounds and off course, I always forgot to switch off the self timer.
August 24th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Used to press delete button frequently, and then regrets that i must not delete it…
August 24th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Just when I’m all proud of myself for fairly consistently remembering to check my ISO, white balance and shutter/f-stop before shooting, I usually go and do the following:
- after focusing up for a particular set of shots, forgetting to re-focus or switch back to AF, leading to large batches of blur
- not actually LOOKING at my subject for frazzled hair, uneven clothes, or other completely obvious things ’cause I’m trying to be as quick as I can for my subject
Haste makes doofus mistakes on my part. That’s how that saying goes, right?
August 24th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
The mistake I seem to make the most is not looking around for distracting things in the background. I tend to do this a lot and it ruins a lot of my pictures. I am not great at using post processing and therefore am usually unable to salvage the picture in the end
August 24th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
My mistake is always either not having the camera with me or not being bothered enough to get it out of the bag and use it, until I get home and wish that I had. I am also very guilty of being to shy to ask people for a photo, hopefully one day i will get more confident to overcome this.
August 24th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
The most common mistakes I used to make:
1) Forgetting to change the ISO resulting in higher inappropriate values which result in grainy shots
2) And an inclined horizon when shooting landscapes
August 24th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
my mistake is always forgot to set back the metering to normal, so if lucky I could re-take the photo again after ‘fixing’ the camera metering mode.
August 24th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
My two main mistakes are;
Not always checking the background for distractions
And fail to get correct focus when manually focusing (probably lost the most photos due to this factor xD)
August 24th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
I always forget that when im shooting in RAW that the pictures are usually darker when i put them on my computer and that they wont look the same as on my LCD on my camera so i think i got a good shot but when i go to edit it on the computer i have to do more then i thought….
August 24th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
The mistake I make is regarding calibration of monitors while processing and my photos look dull in other computer screen when processed in some laptop…..I also tend to forget to pay more attention while composing, which leave me screwed up sometimes..
August 24th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
High ISO and turning off bracketing !
August 24th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
My most frequent mistake is not using a flash indoors, thinking there will be enough light, and ending up with a blurred photo.
There’s also the crime of not taking a photo at all because I’m put off by all the people around.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
I tend to introduce a lot of dead space in my frames hoping to crop’em later. More often i forget to clear my memory card assuming that i maynot take too many shots. I end up missing some excellent shots this way. Also no carrying a backup battery is a big problem of mine.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Forgetting a high-iso and keeping the lens in manual focus mode are two of the most common mistakes from me. Unfortunately these can’t be noticed with a histogram which aggravates the issue.
August 24th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
when i see a good scene to shot, i always think TWICE, that the moment has passed. seesh!
August 24th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
I forget my camera at home…
August 24th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
I tend to put the camera in one of the “push the button dummy” to often. Whenever i get unsure of what manual settings to use. Not a good thing to do, and a hard habit to break.
August 24th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
My most consistent mistake is under exposing my outdoor low light shots. I took these on Saturday and you can tell that some of them are definitely under exposed. http://musiccityfoodie.com/2010/08/22/nashville-farmers-market-camera-practice/ . My other problem is camera shake when I don’t have my tripod. If I turn the shutter speed down enough to get the exposure level right, it’s so low my shots turn out blurry.
August 24th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Not planning for the unexpected. Take for example this last weekend. I was shooting a friend’s wedding. It was suppose to be at a botanical gardens. So I toured the garden, planned it all out where I’d take the pictures, checked it out at approximately the same time as the wedding so I’d have an idea for the lighting. Then what happens. We have a torrential downpour and the wedding gets changed to the reception hall. I have no contingency plan and I have to wing it. I said when I got done I’d never do another wedding again, but once I got editing them, they’re not too bad considering what I was up against.
August 24th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
DOF, Aperture:
A big challenge at times is DOF and managing the flash power when I’m forced to go wide open. I shoot a lot of clubs/parties, I’ve gotten used to shifting ISO very easily and can control the flash (580EXII) pretty well given how fast the action is moving but DOF light balance is challenge. It plays a big role in the quality of the photo and the overall scene captured. Black ceilings, low ceilings, and dancing can put you in the action faster that you can blink.
I try to take multiple shots of people, different angles but ultimately you want to do one and done. I shoot all manual and RAW so I can fix some things in post but wrong focal point or aperture selection are things you really can’t correct in PS/LR/AP. I found the best way to counteract all of this is to keep shooting and build up a mental reserve of shots and study the shots I’ve taken, so it’s becomes more second nature.
Backup camera:
Last thing need to get a smaller camera that stays with me (Canon G11) for those moments you can’t bring out the big gun
August 24th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Not look at the background and bursting a few shot where only 1 is needed
August 24th, 2010 at 11:38 pm
Several! (Great thread, btw.)
- Backgrounds, as folks have said. Things coming out of people’s heads and shoulders in the background.
- Switching off high ISO! That seems like a common one.
- I often feel bad/nervous about bugging people I’m with, so I get rushy. Either they end up way ahead of me on the trail or I feel like bad asking them for a “do over” on a posed shot because I did something wrong. Things like that.
- Laziness – not actually going out to shoot when I could. Not changing lenses when I should. Not experimenting with new projects/ideas/techniques I read about when I should/want to. Reading too much instead of out there shooting.
- Not looking at my light meter. I know this sounds crazy, but I tend to shoot, look and re-do way too often, instead of looking at my light meter first. It would save time, at least sometimes!
- Not bringing a tripod when I should. I guess that goes under laziness.
- I’m not a great director. I’ve even had classes, and I just kind of clam up and worry what my ‘models’ will think, etc.
- I shoot in P mostly. I’ve gotten better about it, but P is my preferred setting for all my cameras.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
I forget my to change back my ISO all the time. Since I shoot about 95% in Aperture Priority mode, I sometimes forget to change the aperture. I don’t realize what I could’ve done better until I see the photos on the computer.
I guess I need to train myself to THINK before pressing that shutter.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
My biggest problem is I keep forgetting to take my camera along. Soooo frustrating when you see a lovely setting or composition or whatever is worth taking shot.
Also for my job I have to switch sizes from big to small. And then I keep on forgetting to change it back, wich results in too small pictures grrrrrr.
August 24th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Paying too much attention to the center of the viewfinder. During street photography this leads to a lot of frames where I put the subjects head near the center and cut off their feet and leave too much sky. I much prefer when the full figure fits the frame if I’m at a distance where they’ll fit.
August 25th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Trying, in vain, to make boring subjects interesting.
August 25th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Leaving my camera set on unusual settings when I start the next shoot. Forgetting to reset white Balance, ISO ect.
August 25th, 2010 at 12:33 am
I tend to tilt the camera slightly. I never noticed it in the viewfinder, but there it is on the shot: everything’s noticeably off.
August 25th, 2010 at 12:34 am
Forgetting I had the camera on remote and then I need to shoot something really quickly, But it has a 10 second timer when it’s on remote! Whoops!
August 25th, 2010 at 12:36 am
Although I’m getting much better, my biggest problem is slowing down and working the scene. Continually searching for the best composition or arrangement of the element is a process that takes time and consideration.
August 25th, 2010 at 1:01 am
The most common mistake was shadows on portraits subjects. I have become very conscious of this now and switched to a two-strobe setup to try and solve it and now also before pressing the shutter I scan the whole frame looking for shadows and then advise the person(s) to move to prevent as many shadows as possible from falling on their bodies.
August 25th, 2010 at 1:21 am
My sky coming out grey instead of blue when using my 150-500mm lens.
August 25th, 2010 at 1:24 am
when shooting with my 150-500mm lens the sky is grey instead of blue.
August 25th, 2010 at 2:40 am
I have a terrible problem remembering to reset my ISO!!!
August 25th, 2010 at 3:08 am
It’s nice to know you all make the same stupid mistakes I do!
Putting the camera away with one set of specific settings like Manual, High ISO, Lens set to Manual Focus, etc. Then picking it up again and starting to shoot without first checking the settings, or even worse, shooting several that way without reviewing the LCD.
But isn’t it great we aren’t wasting film anymore?
August 25th, 2010 at 3:12 am
My biggest mistake, which I only made about 3 times (but it was 3 times too many!), was to store my tripod mount separate from the tripod, and then forget to bring the mount when I go out on a shoot. Nothing makes me feel like a loser like having a tripod, but being unable to use it.
August 25th, 2010 at 4:33 am
composition – If there is a garbage can, pop machine, fire hydrant, etc, it will be in my picture!
focus- if it is sports, 25% (maybe) in focus
ISO – low light higher ISO, low light higher ISO, low light higher ISO………………………………….
I am sure there are many more mistakes I make, these are the only ones I will own up to!
August 25th, 2010 at 5:32 am
Forgetting to recharge batteries / checking the state of batteries in my bag that I *thought* were fully charged. White Balance (but that can be corrected in post easily enough) and ISO are my three main culprits. I love to leave ISO set to 100 and I forget that I can bump it way up without adverse effects to get the proper exposure. ::sigh::
August 25th, 2010 at 5:34 am
I’m guilty of not checking my settings before I start. Only to find the timer is on, or the white balance is wrong..
Am I the only one that forgets to take the lens cap off? or the only one who will admit it? Ha ha ha
August 25th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Setting a custom white balance. The Nikon shoot with just isn’t cutting it on Auto White Balance, good thing I shoot in RAW so I can make some changes and not mess up the image quality.
August 25th, 2010 at 5:45 am
Simply… I don’t slow down. sometimes I get too caught up in making sure the pose is right and that I don’t have something protruding from their head (I learned that early on. hehe) that I forget all the basics. I am a complete amateur and when I think about it after the fact I’m like ding dong “you completely forgot everything you know!” ha!
August 25th, 2010 at 8:09 am
My most aggravating mistake is leaving the neutral density filter on with my G11 (my main camera; I can’t afford a good DSLR yet). My worst experience with this was when I spent a whole night struggling to take clear shots of my roommate’s band in a pub, only to discover my mistake the next morning. Although it probably didn’t help that I drank far too much either…
August 25th, 2010 at 8:31 am
I never remember to look for the good angle. I just see something I like, get trigger happy, and then end up disappointed with ho-hum shots of the same ole stuff.
August 25th, 2010 at 8:46 am
I made up a business-sized card that has three things typed on it: Mode, ISO and White Balance. I had it laminated and put it in my camera bag. Every time I pull my camera out of the bag, I see the card, and immediately check all my settings. This system has saved me on more than one occasion!
August 25th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Oops! It should read “business-card sized card.”
August 25th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Not squaring up the view finder with the horizon. When I correct in PP, I lose some of the important part of the picture.
August 25th, 2010 at 9:42 am
My greatest mistake is shooting like crazy and not taking the time to get the “right” shot and get in the moment and right frame of mind. I get so worried about just “getting a shot” that I don’t get “THE” shot. I also fight with my camera to focus and forget that I can use Manual Focus which makes me totally miss the moment I was waiting for.
August 25th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Seems like I always forget to change the white balance. Luckily, I am quite anal and usually check a shot after I take it. So generally I catch the mistake when I see a strangely tinted image. I have also been known to forget to set my ISO when using/not using a flash.
August 25th, 2010 at 11:34 am
For me, it’s forgetting to do a quick check, and change, of my settings when I grab my camera. I also have a D300 where the focus mode switch can be moved from M to S or C when the camera out, putting it in, the bag.
On vacation I took over 40 photos along the Seward highway in Alaska before I realized that my lens was set to manual focus.
Always check everything!
August 25th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
All of the Above.
August 25th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Mistake: Forgetting to clear the card after I’ve downloaded the images onto my computer. Problem: taking too many shots and not deleting the “bad ones” from my hard drive
August 25th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Darren,
You have committed a cardinal sin by stirring the photographer’s nest! Nevertheless, a great question which deserves some great answers. And I thought I was the only one! It’s heartening to know that we all make mistakes. Whoo hoo!
Here’s are my seven deadly sins:
1. Not “slowing” down enough to spend time with the subject. Thus avoid ‘connecting’. Result – boring pics.
2. Not caring enough about backgrounds and other elements around the subject and make creative decisions about them. Result: Dull and distracting pics
3. Leave exp. comp on -3 and forget to reset it. Result: dark pictures
4. Not shooting enough. Camera lives inside the cupboard. Result – fewer pics & “missed it” moments.
5. Not changing perspective. shooting at eye level. Result – pics that the whole world has already seen!
6. Not going manual. Result – no “pano” pics
7. Not practicing enough “metering”. Result – not ready for tricky lighting conditions.
I rest my sins.
August 25th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
The biggest mistake for me is…
White Balance
&
ISO
Since going digital, it’s been tough to remember those.
August 25th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Hi,
I sometimes do low light photography and set the ISO up high and then forget to set it back down to 100 ISO and then wonder why my shots are overexposed!
August 25th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
I have made all the obvious mistakes, wrong WB, wrong metering (spot, matrix), not checking the meter in camera (over/under exposed shots), etc, but my biggest “mistake” is the same “mistake” as Scott has, it’s tilting the camera.
For me it’s more a problem of bad practice. I believe when I press the shutter it’s not just my finger that moves but my entire hand, pushing the camera ever so slightly down. It’s most notable in landscape shots, the horizon isn’t straight. I really, really have to work on that.
August 26th, 2010 at 4:05 am
most of the time I suffer from bad focus and bad exposure. Some shots are just too tricky to figure out where to take the metering from. Even when I use Brian Peterson’s Sky Brothers and Mr. Grean Jeans, I still get it wrong sometimes.
Guess that’s all about more and more practice.
August 26th, 2010 at 5:20 am
I keep fooling myself into thinking I can handhold with a long lens… sometimes I get lucky, but I’ve missed a lot of great photos sans tripod or monopod.
August 26th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Taking lens cap off
August 26th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Two most common errors:
1. Forgetting that I turned off the auto focus
2. Forgetting that last time I used the camera was for sunset shots and not changing back to landscape or vivid mode.
August 26th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
I play with my exposure setting on my camera and keep forgetting to set it back to zero when I turn my camera off.
ISO is my next biggest mistake.
For the people who commented on the white balance; that seems like a minor mistake if you shoot in raw. My understanding is that is very easily fixable in post.
August 26th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
Not charging my batteries
August 26th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Forgetting to take my polarizing filter off for low-light shots.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:03 am
Misconfiguring the white balance totally throws me off.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:53 am
I used to constantly make this mistake but I think I’ve finally learned… when photographing something small like a dark bird against a bright background, I didn’t know that the camera would be reading the bright background and not the subject. This resulted in countless shots where my subject was drastically underexposed. I photograph a lot of wildlife on our shady back deck, so now I shoot in aperture mode and dial in additional exposure compensation. That’s what I did for this squirrel picture I took recently…
August 27th, 2010 at 1:56 am
Always Always Always forget to check my Exposure settings- I click thinking “Aha- what a great shjot that’s gonna be’ and when I review the photo- it’s nothing but a dark mass or bright white blob lol.
The other mistake I make is forgetting to turn the camera off when I get dopne shooting
Of all the things I’;ve lost in life, I miss my mind the most
August 27th, 2010 at 3:07 am
Biggest Mistake I ever made was turning Camera and lens to Manual focus to get some cool long exposures the previous night, and forgetting to reset them to auto for the event the next day, and shooting around 340 blurred pictures.
Fortunately it was a sports event and not a wedding – but it gave me a sufficiently big fright that I have now incorporated checking the auto-focus into my standard “pre-event check” regardless of what the event is.
August 27th, 2010 at 3:13 am
Knowing when to use spot metering vs. evaluative vs. center weighted.
August 27th, 2010 at 3:22 am
I often forget to format a card between uses. It doesn’t cost me shots because I carry four 8 Gb and one 4 Gb cards with me all the time. My camera strap has a spot to keep a card and I keep another 4 Gb card there at all times just in case I leave a card at my computer and don’t have my carrying case with me.
Memory is not a problem even though I shoot RAW at all times (even sports).
I have a workflow that downloads all photos to a file named with the current day’s date at a push of a button. If the card has 450 shots from a previous day that I have already downloaded, it messes up my workflow and costs me time and convenience.
August 27th, 2010 at 3:29 am
Auto vs Manual Focus.
My old eyes are not what they were 25 years ago. So when I use manual focus, *I* think its in focus, but the shot tells a different story.
And when I use auto focus, it seems that perfect shot is blurred because the auto-focus focused on the tree behind my subject instead of their face.
August 27th, 2010 at 3:40 am
Most common mistakes I always made is to bad framing, sometimes can’t determine the best white balance settings though it may fix by post editing which I dislike most, and very often I forget to check exposure settings which results over or under exposed photographs.
August 27th, 2010 at 4:09 am
Forgetting my SD card in the laptop and just being there with a DSL that I can’t do anything with..
August 27th, 2010 at 4:37 am
The kind of mistakes that I’d regretfully make are:
a) forgetting to envision how I want the image to look like before I start shooting pics. This usually happens when I haven’t been using my cameras for sometime. I’d just turn it on and start clicking away and the images turn out to be mere “snapshots”.
b) forgetting to check what was the previous camera settings I’ve used and clearing/resetting them if necessary, again attributed to lack of frequent practice.
c) not double checking if I have a fully charged spare battery on hand, leaving home the the lens that I should have brought and vice versa (can’t lug the entire gear, lol)
I do force myself to remember to align the horizons as straight as possible for landscape/seascape shots though.
August 27th, 2010 at 5:24 am
Hate to say it, but I have a bad problem with not double checking focus and relying on autofocus. Sometimes I end up with what would be a nice shot, but blurred enough that it can’t be saved with sharpening.
August 27th, 2010 at 5:34 am
1) Forgetting to check did I left my SD card in the card reader
2) Forgetting to set white balance
And a, b, c as the guy above mentioned
August 27th, 2010 at 6:37 am
#1, and my only real problem…..trying to go too fast! That’s it. I get in a hurry and I forget to change something, or I don’t notice something that I have to fix in PP. It’s hard to take my time when I have 4 or 5 homes to shoot in one day. But, when I slow down and really take my time on site, I find it saves me a ton of time in PP.
August 27th, 2010 at 6:38 am
I forget to clean the memory card, a lot. I usually dont notice it until Ive taken about 20 or more photos…what a pain!!
August 27th, 2010 at 7:09 am
Which one of the hundreds do I start with? I suppose there are two that seem to do more often than I would like. Taking snaps and not photographs in the hurry to catch the moment (and that’s a big FAIL ‘cos I end up with nothing), and the dynamic range (flat, highlight or lowlight – rarely the whole lot…see first point!) and the other common one for me is never enough depth of field (again…see point 1). Sort of obvious what I should do, now that I put it down like this
August 27th, 2010 at 7:58 am
I don’t know if this should be considered as a mistake, rather than as a thing that is just-to-be-learned. I know I have to shoot more when I find myself in front of a subject. I shoudn’t conform with the one image that comes to my mind, and shoot from different angles, as well as play moe with different apertures/shutter speed combinations. I think that (not doing so) happens to me because of two reasons. The first one may be regarded as an old habit from the days of shooting with film cameras, when each shot costed money (one had to be more careful because of the limited amount of films one could carry on). And the second reason is insecurity. I have become more fearful of taking my camera out because of the fear of getting mugged, or even killed by thief.
August 27th, 2010 at 8:30 am
I think my main mistake is that I feel I am a landscape photographer and I have been focused on shutting landscapes, when the place where I live doesn’t have elements that might allow a complete landscape composition. As soon as I changed the subject of my fotos (flowers and architecture), I started to achieve better results.
August 27th, 2010 at 8:30 am
I ALWAYS forget to reset the +/- EV compensation. One thing I have done (Nikon D300) is to set all four custom settings banks and shooting settings banks–one of point and shoot, one for flash, one for tripod, one for action. That at least assures that most all the settings (160 different ones over 40 banks) are what I want.
But I still forget the exposure compensation, and often the ISO.
Glad to know I’m human. But I hate it just the same.
August 27th, 2010 at 8:42 am
I tend to be too slow on the uptake. A lot of the photography I do (wedding, horses, etc) all depends on catching the right moment and I often miss it! It’s frustrating.
August 27th, 2010 at 8:50 am
Focus is my main problem. For health reasons, it is not always possible to take a tripod, so I hand hold a lot; not really successful most of the time.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Not bringing my camera absolutely everywhere with me!
August 27th, 2010 at 11:04 am
I have made most of the above mistakes pretty much.
But, one of my first portrait photo shoots was for an actor. I wasn’t sure then whether I should be telling him how to pose etc, so as he seemed to be posing himself, I just shot and left him to it.
His comment at the end was that the only criticism he had was that I didn’t tell him what I wanted him to do. So, suffice to say, I now know that people actual want you (as the photographer) to advise on positions etc. I must admit, I’m still a bit shy on that one. But my confidence is slowly building. lol
August 27th, 2010 at 11:17 am
I had to respond to this jewel of a forum.
i love the iso and white balance and DOF issues…
i totally agree with that
i had to think what my biggest issues were though
and you know what they are?
1-not having a tripod
2-not having my camera
they never fail,,,,i don’t bring the tripod, i need it…i decide to leave the camera home, and i see a shot within 5 minutes that i couldn’t get the day before in 6 hours.
August 27th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Ok, digital has saved me a lot of times, and especially checking the photo after I shoot it. Here are a few things I try to do to save me difficulties: Unless there is a really compelling reason, always shoot at base ISO, (that way I don’t worry about changing it, and the noise is low.); always look at the whole frame, not just the point of principle interest. That means playing around wiith depth of field, perspective, lighting, et cetera. When shooting macro think about the plane of focus and alter your position so that your alignment with the subject allows the majority of the subject to be in focus. Always shoot RAW …. no exceptions. Carry a tripod, and use it. (Likewise, for long shots use mirror-up, and a remote.)
So what is my worst mistake ever: I went on vacation in the Rockies and wanted to shoot some great landscapes with my 8 x 10″ view camera. I got great shots, but there was only one problem. For whatever reason, I loaded every film-back with the emulsion side of the film facing the wrong way. Every single one was loaded backward. Ten film backs, twenty sheets of film, and nothing to show for it. I learned how to be Zen and think about how much I enjoyed taking each shot … (and got drunk as hell.)
August 27th, 2010 at 11:35 am
I foget to turne on VR on the my VR lenses.
August 27th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
ISO & White Balance! But the actual culprit is me. Perhaps I get all excited when I see a great scene that I start clicking forgetting all the adjustments that would help me get better shots. Still I have clicked some very good pics. At least I feel so. I am parhaps the Lord’s best “accidental” photographer. LOL.
August 27th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
There is this rule that you have to switch off your camera when you change lens, insert your SD card or change batteries. There have been several times that I forget to switch off the camera when I change lens or remove them. However I do not forget it when I remove or insert cards or batteries. What harm could it cause the camera because not much is said of it in the owner’s manual?
August 27th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Most of the mistakes I do are alignment. Grid alignment are never good. Specially taking events. The become so sober when the grids are aligned well.
August 27th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
simplest of all things, I sometimes forget to take the lens cap off before shooting!
i dont have filters attached to my lens so when iam idle, i put the lens cap on.
other mistakes i sometimes do, forgetting to set the exposure compensation back to 0, forgetting to set ISO to low value when in broad daylight.
August 27th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I think my biggest mistake is leaving my camera at home.
It seems that in contrast to most of the people on this thread, I do check my ISO settings. I shoot in manual and just have a habit to check the screen to see what all the settings are at.
So, I’m good on the technical side…now if I only could get my pictures to come out straight! That would be nice.
August 27th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
I am guilty of not checking the settings on my camera. But, mostly I’m guilty of impatience. I need to learn to slow down and take in the picture before grabbing my camera and firing away.
August 27th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
I really want to slap me when I put one my cameras on my tripod and forget to turn off the anti-shake switch. Lost a few shots that way.
ISO? Still happens occasionally.
There are so many menus and buttons on my camera that it is easy to forget just one button or menu setting.
August 27th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
I usually forget to engage my brain.
August 27th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
forget to check ISO and manual focus on shallow dof shots (ha, maybe my new glasses will help with that! )
August 27th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
I often forget to check the settings are right before I take the shot, and if I look at my pics afterwards I can always find some area I could have improved the shot: lighting, composition etc, but then I’ve only been taking photography seriously since October, so have alot to learn.
August 27th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
As mentioned earlier, I can trace most of my mistakes over the years to not just taking the time to think about what I am doing and what I want to accomplish.. I have the equipment and book learning.. I just need to keep in mind that I need to slow down and use my equipment and learning to best advantage and also to work my subject to the max..
August 27th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
I think my worst mistake is that I keep thinking about post processing the picture, that sometimes I forget that the picture needs to be good in itself irrespective of any post processing.
August 27th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
forget to turn on my camera in between some 10 min intervals
)
when i press the shutter i find that the autofocus isn’t working !!
sometimes i forget to turn off the continous mode
August 27th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
having shakey photos =(
August 27th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Camera shake. I’m still learning how to hold my camera steady… but getting a little better at the technical things as I practise more.
August 28th, 2010 at 12:38 am
I have many, but here is one that really gets me. It seems every time my family gets together for an occasion they want a group picture. And I set up on a tripod so I can be in the shot too. And it seems to me that everytime, everyone is in a big hurry to get the picture over with! This puts pressure on me to hurry up. And in the rush of tring to line everyone up to where you can see everyone’s face, I miss it. And you get home, and dang, I missed it again! And also, it never fails if I used the timer, I’ll forget to turn it off, and you say cheese to take the shot some other time and…Beep,Beep,Beep! Embarrassing!
Why is it people seem to be in a rush to get their picture taken? Or they act like they hate to get it taken?
Is it just me, or does this happen to you?
August 28th, 2010 at 2:54 am
I always forget to switch off my camera while changing lens. I promise not to repeat it again, BUT forget that I had promised…………………. AND I REPEAT.
August 28th, 2010 at 2:55 am
I make the exact same mistakes as everyone above. I especially get too excited when taking a picture of something that is amazing. I forget about my composition and settings from the previous photos. I have to remember to slow down. Taking a picture is easy. It’s making a picture that takes the most concentration.
August 28th, 2010 at 4:02 am
I find it difficult to get the perfect aperture and speed. I tend to over expose my shots, but I’m always trying to shoot manual only.
August 28th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Mistakes re good since it will teach you lessons that you will never forget.
My common mistakes is changing the ISO setting when necessary as well as waiting for the perfect moment to take the shot.
Now I am more free to take shot when there is any opportunity arises and lots of shots too. Sometimes you will never know what you have captured and only realized it back home when you staring at your 29″ monitor.
August 28th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
My biggest and most consistent mistake is composition. I’ve read lots about it, know the rules, and yet get so caught up in what I see that I don’t stop and think about how the best way to shoot it is. Then sometimes I think I’ve got it right but I still get rejected over composition issues. It’s the height of my frustration and I’m running out of ideas on how to improve.
August 28th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
I read too much on photography instead of getting out there and take pictures. I critique myself too much and when I’m out and about I disregard potential photographs thinking it’s a rubbish picture, only to find sometimes someone else has taken the picture and done a good job of it. The only post processing I use is Picasa.
August 29th, 2010 at 3:31 am
Here are my most common mistakes
1. white balance. I don’t take the time to make sure this is correct. When I do, I love the results……Need to take the time!
2. that darn polarizer!!! (I have to laugh at myself here)…..When going from an extremely bright day into an indoor situation, I forget to remove that darn filter……then I wonder why my photos are so dark……DUH!! Remove the filter and life brightens up! LOL
3. ISO, like a lot of people have said already, forgetting to change the ISO after low light situations.
4. I need to slow down. When I’m working with people, babies, teens, I’m really good about slowing down and making sure that everything is good before taking the shot. But when I’m doing landscapes I forget to slow down and take it all in before shooting. A landscape isn’t going anywhere…..I can take the time, but I don’t.
For those of you that don’t take your cameras with you…….I always have mine with me. It’s always in the trunk of my car, just in case. I had taken it out of my car to clean off cards, clean out my bag, etc. I had to run to the store, I didn’t grab my camera and missed a really good opportunity!! As I was passing over the highway there was a car in the center median that was on fire. Flames a good 20′ in the air, fire dept not there yet as it just happened….would have made some great shots…..but my camera was at home. I no longer leave my camera at home even when just running to the store.
August 29th, 2010 at 7:53 am
@Reema: I choose shutter priority mode and a shutter speed higher than my focal lens number (i.e. at least i/125 with a 100 mm) to avoid shakey pictures. Maybe this can help you too.
As far as for me my “always” mistake is cropping the picture “in camera”: pretty often I find that something has been accidentally cut away (like a finger or a foot…)
August 29th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Forget, forget, forget. At least I know I’m in good company, for I can forget all of the above.
August 29th, 2010 at 9:53 am
As I’m ready these I became very excited to see that I’m not the only one with problems, but seem to be one of the FEW people with a specific issue. My lighting is usually off. I get lucky when I’m in a room with outside light that makes my pictures “foof” without a flash, and in shady areas, but inside…I’m all messed up. I know to chage ISO, open up my aperture as far as it can go and slow my shutter speed, even use my built in flash, but then they are too exposed and I have to deal with too dark or too blown out. I’m not sure what else to look for or how to chnge these issues…pick new venues to shoot at? Can anyone help?
Thanks, and I found, although it’s silly…that while shooting a “big” shoot, or one that you know will be hectic, to pull out your iPhone or even a sticky note of all the things to check for to make sure you remember. (People never know what you’re doing…)
Katie
August 29th, 2010 at 10:28 am
I’m a newby… and everything happen to me… from white balance to continuous shotting, I think my problem is lack of concentration… in the desperation of taking a photo I always forgot I’ve changed some settings and the first shot is really a disaster!!!!
August 30th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
What mistakes? I’m perfact …or should that be perfect?
LoL
August 30th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
It seems that I have the opposite of the popular ISO problem. I use Pentax/Samsung Tav mode, where I set aperture and shutter speed, and the camera sets ISO, up to the limit that I chose. So if I go from dark to light, and don’t change the settings, the camera will bring ISO down automatically. And here is the problem – sometimes there is too much light. ISO goes to the lowest 100, flashes mad in the viewfinder, ignored by me concentrating on the scene, and I get a nicely overexposed image.
But the biggest mistake I usually make is not being ready when it happens. The most interesting stuff happens when I put camera away or don’t have it with me.
August 31st, 2010 at 4:12 am
Two problems drive me nuts: out of focus subjects in sports photography and lack of richness in the color of the photo. My photos just seem flat. The focus issue is a combination of slow lenses and resistance to using flash for sports shots.
August 31st, 2010 at 6:38 am
It seems we have all been guilty of many things – mistakes are common and yet that’s how we learn – I hope. My personal tag line has been – for many years “…Are you a Tourist or a Traveller?”
Now I think I’ll change this to “…Am I a Snapper or a Photographer?” each time I take my camera in hand I must ask myself this question – the answer will change depending on the situation and the mistakes I make will change as well.
As long as I learn a little bit each time – all will be good – this is how I will build my confidence as a phtographer.
This is a great thread – challenges us to think and share – thanks
August 31st, 2010 at 10:59 am
I generally do not wish to use high ISO when shooting people in night. Instead I use either flash or low shutter speed after warning the ‘subject’ to stand still otherwise the photo would get blurred. In both instances I get portraits with whitened faces filled with flash light or people freezing to the camera.
Any idea to shoot nice photos of people in night parties?
August 31st, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Shake, when i must take picture to the movement subject with standard lens and without tripot
August 31st, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I often forget switching MF mode to AF.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:07 pm
My most common mistake is getting where I want to be, turning on the camera, snapping away, without stopping to think about how the camera is set up.
I shoot mainly in manual (or semi-manual) mode and so the possibility for “wrong” settings are endless. Very occaisionally, the results can be weirdly pleasing, but more often than not, I miss my opportunity for the best shot.
Very frustrating! More haste less speed…
September 1st, 2010 at 10:50 am
Read all of the above and thats me
My biggest problem is not trusting my settings and going to full auto so at least I get a shot, and fix it in post
September 1st, 2010 at 4:21 pm
I have the same problem as Amber. I rush through shots of people, and my creativity is strangled and paralyzed. I tried what Jack said about asking more people if I can take their photos. This helps some, but now I am afraid to “make” the picture to create more creative poses instead of the poses inspired by my willing amateur models.
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:19 am
I forget to take my time which generally results in incorrect settings and a out of focus shot.
September 2nd, 2010 at 4:58 am
Too slow shutter speed that causes motion blur of the subject, not by camera shake.
September 3rd, 2010 at 1:24 am
White Balance and DOF. I read/study a lot to learn so I can break the rules:-)
September 6th, 2010 at 4:40 am
I accidentally delete pictures WAY too often!
September 6th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
I always seem to zoom in too much, and because my camera isn’t the best, it tends to add a lot of noise to the picture. besides that some of my photos are shaky and blurred, but i’m still learning, and nobody’s perfect.
September 8th, 2010 at 7:20 am
I always fail to watch the corners of the viewfinder and very often, the background – especially while taking close ups
September 15th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
i intend to hurry things and after that i ask myself why the result is not so good.Especially when i do a little postprocessing i’m so excited that i barelly have patience to do the job right.
November 14th, 2010 at 10:20 am
I allways feel that anything I shoot doesnt look professional.
I almost never remember the rule of thirds so I guest that is one of the reasons.
I also cannot change the shyiness I feel to ask people to take a picture of them and the most scary part is to ask them to sigh the model release.
November 30th, 2010 at 5:57 am
I get blurred photos sometimes when shooting in manual. I prefer to shoot in manual but kids move so much. No matter if I use a tripod or not the subject moves and I get a blurred shot. Any advice with this mistake? Thank you!
December 1st, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Kelly – Your shutter speed is probably not high enough to freeze the action. You’ll need around 1/200, or more if they’re moving really fast. Open up your aperture and boost your ISO if necessary. As an alternative, shoot in shutter priority so that you don’t have to think about the aperture too much. If you’re underexposing, boost your ISO. Fast (f/2.8 or better) lenses help here.
December 3rd, 2010 at 9:07 pm
I generally shoot RAW. At times when I shoot a group outing and have to immediately share photos to the group, I realize I should have shot JPEG, since not everyone’s computer has the necessary RAW viewing pluggins.
No sooner that I switch to JPEG, I find some great potential shots in my cam that could become masterpieces – if they were shot on RAW, but I forgot to set my cam back to RAW! Such is life..:)
March 25th, 2011 at 9:52 am
Wow – first place I’ve seen where people actually admit their flaws!
For those saying “I forget to bring my camera” I’ve done two things; I have an alternate camera (a used D80 not my new D90, less than half the price) that I carry in car every day. I also carry, attached to my hip, a Point and shoot. No they’re not as good but I’ve gotten some cool shots because I had the PnS and didn’t have time to get the dSLR. I understand not everyone can have 2 dSLRs, but a dSLR and a PnS at least CYBs! (Ladies have it easier carrying the PnS, purses! But also more weight on your shoulders.)
@bruce re: lens cap Are you using the lcd behind the camera and not the viewfinder? I never do this when I stick my eyes on the viewfinder and get “wait there’s nothing there! Oh .. hehe lens cap”
@scott your tendency to tilt the camera isn’t uncommon – some cameras have a built in grid function; I use it all the time to avoid that (and to help me set my ‘thirds’ up when I’m in a hurry.) See if that doesn’t help (it helped me!)
@caroline re: boring shots .. every object can be made exciting – framing and composition aren’t the only things to make a good pic, try getting super close or turn 45 degrees (or both) or try making it a silhouette, or get real funky with the exposure and white balance. (and any combination) My favorite sunset picture was taken with a PnS and I set it (accidentally) to “dusk/dawn” mode – WOW a purple sunset!!! Right now that is my favorite pic – and right from the camera no PP! In fact, I challenge you to come up with an object that cannot be made interesting in some way.**
@sarah Not bringing a tripod I understand (weight) but to keep myself from doing that all the time, I keep a cheap one in my truck at all times.
@greydude: love the note reminder .. will have to do that!
@jean and @reema – @valentina’s comment is it: in taking pics if nothing is moving then there should be no blurriness inside the DoF; I do a lot of handhelds too and I have to remember to go Shutter priority with at least 1/30th of a second (as she said, depending on your lens) when handholding. Sometimes I want a low light picture with less noise (low ISO) so I loose sharpness by trading shutter speed for more light, but that’s a trade off to get better exposure.
@cstudiok I had that problem with my flashes too till I realized I still need to control the aperture, it APPEARS as though my camera controls the shutter speed under flash but in manual I’ve got to set the aperture. Play a bunch with it in manual and your flash, you’ll get more control. It took me a while then AHA!
My BIGGEST error is with humans: with non-humans I stop and think and nail it. With humans I’m trying so hard not to miss the shots that I end up screwing up focus or bad DoF. I know if it’s that bad I should use a video camera but it’s hard not wanting to “get it all” and I don’t like video.
** To get a good idea on seeing things different, get or borrow “Drawing on the right side of the brain.” One chapter has you take a photo and turn it upside down and now draw the subject. You’d be amazed what you can do when you short circuit the symbols in your head. That symbolism appears to be the problem with creativity and IMHO is the problem with boring shots.
April 30th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
I frequently forgot to change my white balance and ISO! Its so frustrating that when the portrait shot was purfeect but due to the shadows.. it messed my shot! esp on studio lighting! Can never get it right. haha.
and also lack DOF.
Im kinda glad im not the only one who makes the same mistakes twice!
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